NTSB CEN23LA366 — 2023-08-11 · Derby, Kansas, United States

Current FAA registration · N6205E

Make / Model: CESSNA 172
Year of manufacture: 1958 · 65 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19581222
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A81949

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N6205E Cessna 172 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s loss of directional control during takeoff roll due the passenger’s interference with the rudder pedals, which resulted in a runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, the airplane drifted left so he applied right rudder, but the rudder pedals were “jammed” by the passenger in the left seat. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and continued through a culvert, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA366.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers